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Four hundred and one left-wing politicians in 34 countries in Europe, South and North America, and Asia signed an open letter to Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, warning that “the days of impunity for the giant e-commerce are over ”.
The letter, compiled by Progressive International and UNI Global Union, is signed by politicians including women in the US Congress Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, former UK Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, spokesman for the Turkish People’s Democratic Party Ebru Günay, Head of France Unbowed Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Former Greek Minister of Finance Yanis Varoufakis and Vice-President of the European Parliament, Finnish MP Heidi Hautala.
“The world knows that Amazon can afford to pay its workers, its environmental cost and its taxes. And yet – time and again – you have dodged and rejected your debts to workers, corporations and the planet,” the letter reads. .
The letter follows the “Make Amazon Pay” campaign on November 27 during Black Friday, the shopping event after Thanksgiving celebrations in the United States.
The campaign saw workers, unions and activist networks organize a series of protests and strikes against Amazon. It also released a list of 25 demands, including wage increases for warehouse workers, greater respect for union rights, fairer tax practices and a commitment to higher environmental standards.
Politicians pledge to support the “Make Amazon Pay” movement in their national political institutions.
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Amazon faced a wave of protests against what workers claimed were unsafe working conditions and unrealistic productivity expectations. Amazon made huge profits during the pandemic as consumers turned to online shopping. In the third quarter, the company recorded a 37% increase in revenue over last year, totaling $ 96.1 billion.
During the first wave of infections, Amazon paid its workers a risk premium of € 2 per hour, but did not take it back for the winter months, choosing instead to distribute lump sum premiums in summer and in December.
“[W]Although your personal wealth grew by around $ 13 million per hour in 2020, these workers are entering unsafe working conditions, receiving little or no pay rise, and facing retaliation for their efforts to keep up. defend and organize their colleagues, ”the letter said.
Politicians note that Amazon’s carbon footprint is greater than two-thirds of countries in the world. In its sustainability report, Amazon said the company’s emissions had increased from 44 million metric tons in 2018 to 51 million metric tons in 2019. Amazon is committed to reaching 100% renewable energy in its operations by 2025 and achieve zero net carbon emissions by 2040.
Politicians called the company’s plans to cut carbon emissions “insufficient” and “hard to trust given Amazon’s track record of broken sustainability promises.” They also criticize the company for what they call tax evasion.
An Amazon spokesperson said the company welcomes the scrutiny of policymakers, but that “the questions raised in this letter stem from a series of misleading claims from uninformed or interested groups who appear to be using Amazon’s profile to promote their individual causes “.
“Amazon has a solid track record of supporting our employees, customers and communities, including providing safe working conditions, competitive wages and great benefits, leading climate change with commitment. Climate Pledge to be net zero carbon by 2040 and paying billions of euros in taxes around the world. We look forward to continued dialogue with interested parties on these topics, ”they continued.
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